My Top 10 Trees for Small Spaces, Best Small Trees, Get Gardening
With many of us having smaller gardens, or spaces in which to plant, being of limited size the tendency is to simply look to plant shrubs, perennials or bedding plants. But why not a tree?
A small tree, carefully selected and positioned, will add greater variety of structure, form, texture and depth to a planting scheme than can be achieved from other plants alone.
All the plants I have listed I have either growing in my garden, or in previous gardens, here in Essex. I have included trees suitable for different situations as we don’t just have a sunny or shady, dry or wet garden but a mixture of several conditions.
I have added appropriate links below for each tree. Where possible Ornamental Trees.co.uk are referenced as they are the online division, of Frank Matthews Ornamental trees, who are arguably the best tree growers in the U.K.
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Amelanchier alnifolia ‘Obelisk’
https://www.ornamental-trees.co.uk/amelanchier-alnifolia-obelisk-p966
Acer palmatum ‘Atropurpureum’
https://www.ornamental-trees.co.uk/acer-palmatum-atropurpureum-tree-p568
Betula pendula fastigiata ‘Joes’
https://www.ornamental-trees.co.uk/betula-pendula-fastigiata-joes-p985
Michelia ‘White Fairy’
https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/plants.cfm?pl_id=5703
Sorbus aucuparia ‘Autumn Spire’
https://www.ornamental-trees.co.uk/sorbus-aucuparia-autumn-spire-p940
Crataegus laevigata ‘Paul’s Scarlet’
https://www.ornamental-trees.co.uk/crataegus-laevigata-paul-s-scarlet-tree-p247
Salix erythroflexuosa
https://www.ornamental-trees.co.uk/salix-erythroflexuosa-tree-p771
Cercis canadensis‘Ruby Falls’
https://www.ornamental-trees.co.uk/cercis-canadensis-ruby-falls-p1071
Prunus hillieri ‘Spire’
https://www.ornamental-trees.co.uk/prunus-spire-tree-p223
Olea europaea
https://www.toddsbotanics.co.uk/care-notes/care-note.htm
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23 Comments
very nice videos👌👌👌
nice trees🌴🌴🌴
I enjoyed your video. You’ve included some unusual trees that have got me thinking about trees for my own garden. Thank you.
Very informative and easily explained video. You have provided links which are very helpful. Thk u so much
Thanks for this wonderful video. Great ideas for my small garden !!
Karen Young really enjoyed your video it has helped me to decide what trees I can plant in my new garden, loved it thank you.
Only thing is you sound a little depressed. Maybe pretend you are talking to a neighbor not a camera.a really hot and interesting neighbor 😂😂
I love the leaves on that Betula.
Wow, just the very thing that's a passion of mine (i guess that's already obvious as why else would i have find the video in the first place). I have a fairly large small garden …not sure if it's big enough to be classified as a medium (probably not).I inherited a garden with masses of leylandii conifers, some of which were a feature around a koi pond … so within the 1st yesar of moving in I removed 4 conifers including digging up the stump and bulk of the roots (the garden is too small to lose the space). Since then I've been on a journey of learning / making mistakes & things around me changing which force a rethink. I've planted 3 birches (2 grayswood hills, 1 jacq doorenbos), 2 sorbus (joseph rock, villmorni), 2 alemanchiar (rainbow pillar, robin hill), malus evereste, crateagus prunifolia, acer westonbirt red. I've recently bought the magnolia felix jury which i'm really excited about ….but i'm struggling to jig things around to get the best location to avoid strong winds & easterly morning sun…. oh another dilemma is i've purchased a tree that I wanted but may not space for! the fairly unusual kentucky coffee tree…it's known for it's very large foliage but also it's short season. Well my environment has also changed, as i border 2 different schools….one of which has stopped trimming their hawthorne type of shrubs, so as i result the unsightly shrubs are 4m and towering over border/boundary …so i'm thinking of tree ideas which would mask that out. I'm based in Leicester and has a south facing garden, but the east – west axis is a little exposed … it's a pity my climate can't cope with a dense overgreen like the corked oak or perhaps one of the newer southern magnolia's like teddy bear. Sure i'll work it all out eventually.
Hi could I ask you advice please ….how do you call this white plants please ?
Good video 👍
Some beauties here. Thank you 👌
Superb explanation especially for a newbie Gardeners.Thank you
Great video, really informative and helpful as I'm in the middle of planting new flower borders and trying to decide on the right trees. I'll definitely take on a few of your suggestions and hopefully they'll be available in Ireland too! Thanks again, have liked & subscribed 😊
Red leave Japanese maples need more sun, than all the green leave Japanese maples. What Japanese maples don´t like is hard wind.
Really useful as I've just removed the gravel on my very exposed south west facing gable end, up in the hills North of Manchester and want to plant a couple of trees in the 2 m space. thank you 🙂
Gracias por compartir están hermosos todos.
Great info . Just the right amount off detail. Thank you.
This is such a useful video. There seem to be more small trees available than ever before and there are great ideas here! I have cleared my front garden and looking for one small architectural tree, preferably with traditional tree look (single stem, rounded crown) but not much wider than 3-4 metres so it doesn't overhang neighbours. Have you had any experience with the Acer 'Brilliantissimum' (sycamore)? I love the change of leaf colour through the seasons but worried it might get too big. I also really like the look of the horizontal branches on the Viburnum 'Kilimanjaro' although it is more of a bush. I'm also looking at ornamental cherries but there are so many to choose from there!
Thanks again Ian for your advice last year. I'm now looking for a small tree for a large container in a sunny courtyard. I'd like something with interesting coloured and or twisted stems for winter interest. Do you think the Salix you mention in the video would work in a pot? I can keep pruned but wondering whether its moisture requirements might be difficult. As an alternative i was looking at the corylus 'red majestic'. Many thanks if you have any thoughts
This has been very useful to start to learn about small trees. The front of our house is very close to the public footpath so i am looking at options for bordering / privacy. There is a bed no longer than 2ft wide – would any of the trees featured in the video be suitable for such a space? I am concerned about whether the roots would eventually damage the foot path. Thanks, James.
Great vidoe, thank you. I have a Cercis Ruby Falls which has been planted too close to a fence. It's two years old and needs more space. When would be the best time to move it? Any advice on how to move it would be most appreciated. Thank you
Thanks for this video, I’ve just moved to a house with a very small garden and some very inappropriate trees in it. Now know what I should be looking for to replace them
Some great tree ideas TY